UK gym membership hits record 12.2m as fitness sector reaches £6.5bn

The UK fitness industry has posted its strongest numbers on record, with gym membership reaching 12.2 million people and total sector income hitting £6.5 billion in 2025 — figures that underline just how firmly the gym has embedded itself in British life, even as household budgets remain under pressure.

The findings come from the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2026, published on 9 April 2026 by ukactive in collaboration with Sport England and 4GLOBAL, with financial analysis from Grant Thornton UK. Released at a London event, it is the second annual edition of what is becoming the definitive measure of the UK fitness sector's health.

Record membership and a sector that kept growing

The headline figure — 12.2 million members, representing an 18% penetration rate among adults aged 16 and over — is the highest ever recorded in the United Kingdom. To put that in perspective, membership stood at 9.9 million in 2022. That is a 23% jump in three years, achieved precisely during the cost-of-living squeeze that many predicted would hollow out discretionary spending. Consumers cut back elsewhere; the gym, it turns out, stayed.

The trajectory has been remarkably consistent: penetration sat at 14.6% in 2022, climbed to 16.0% in 2023, edged up to 16.9% in 2024, and has now reached 18.0%. In 2021, ukactive set a target of getting 20% of the population regularly using gyms and leisure facilities by 2030. At the current rate, that looks very much achievable.

Total income for the sector rose from £5.7bn in 2024 to £6.5bn in 2025. The number of fitness facilities across the country grew 4.2% year-on-year to 5,842 clubs, and the sector recorded 679 million visits — a 10% increase on 2024.

Nearly double the visits to GPs

That 679 million figure deserves a moment. According to NHS data, GPs received approximately 383 million visits last year. Gyms, in other words, saw nearly twice as many visits as family doctors — a striking illustration of just how woven into everyday British life the gym has become, and of the argument that the sector functions as a frontline health intervention, not merely a leisure amenity.

The report calculates that the sector is generating £7.5 billion in attributable social value, measured in terms of life satisfaction and reduced health conditions.

Rob Turner, Partner, Consulting, at Grant Thornton UK, said: "This sector is a key contributor to both the UK economy and the nation's health. The growth in gym numbers and their rising popularity strongly support the Government's Prevention Agenda and will, in turn, ease pressure on the NHS. Additionally, fitness spaces are also evolving into key social hubs, with wellness becoming a core part of personal identity, and more than just exercise. For public and private investors alike, this is a high-growth market with significant long-term potential."

Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock added: "Today's report from ukactive is further proof that the health and fitness sector is playing a vital role in building a healthier, more active nation, with record membership numbers showing that more people than ever are choosing to get active in gyms and fitness centres."

Home fitness spending climbs alongside gym use

One of the more telling aspects of the 2026 picture is that the gym boom has not come at the expense of home fitness — both are growing together. The global home gym equipment market is projected to reach $12.98 billion in 2026, with the UK accounting for a significant share of European demand, according to industry analysis.

The driving force is what the sector now calls hybrid fitness: a permanent, post-pandemic lifestyle shift in which consumers split their training between the gym and home. Retention of hybrid fitness habits post-pandemic is estimated at 75%, meaning this is no longer a temporary behaviour — it is how millions of British people have decided they want to train.

With the average UK gym member spending approximately £533 per year on membership fees alone, the financial case for supplementing that with home equipment — or replacing a second membership altogether — is becoming increasingly compelling, particularly as brands push compact, technology-integrated kit suited to smaller British living spaces.

What happens next — and who is still to be reached

The report identifies up to 10 million people who have not yet made the move to join a gym, representing the sector's next frontier. Cameron Saunders, CEO of ukactive, speaking in response to the Active Lives Survey published in April 2026, was direct about the scale of the opportunity: "The most exciting thing is the untapped potential to get millions more people active if the sector gets the right support from the Government to remove the barriers to growth and help us reach more communities. One-in-four adults in England are classed as physically inactive, there are stubborn health inequalities, and the NHS and the economy are creaking under the strain of ill-health, so our sector has a vital role to play."

Policy is already moving in that direction. Manchester City Council has launched a programme offering free gym memberships and access to fitness classes for 11- to 16-year-old secondary school pupils — a sign of growing political appetite to widen access beyond those who can already afford it.

Seven mergers and acquisitions were recorded across the sector in the past year, reflecting sustained investor confidence. More consolidation typically means more capital flowing into facilities — and more pressure on operators to compete on price and quality.

• The report covers data representing 74% of private operators, 85% of public operators, and 88% of independent operators.
• Headline report sponsors are BLKBOX and Matrix; contributing partners are Precor and Technogym.
• The 2016 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report recorded membership at 9.2 million and total market value at £4.4bn — the sector has grown substantially in the decade since.

For anyone buying gym gear — whether kitting out a home setup or investing in accessories to complement a club membership — the broader picture is encouraging: a sector with this much momentum, this much investment, and this much political support is one that will keep innovating, keep competing, and keep producing better kit at better prices.